Author Archives: Andria Toloraia

A Georgian Animal Proverb

Interviewer: Can you think of a proverb you’ve heard a lot in your childhood:

MK: Sure, one of the more common ones I heard from my parents was this:

original: 

თაგვმა თხარა, თხარა, კატა გამოთხარაო. 

translation: 

The mouse dug and dug, only to dig out a cat. 

Context: This phrase was recorded from an older relative of mine, but I myself have heard it many times. It is a fairly common proverb in Georgia. 

Analysis: 

This proverb teaches a lesson through a short, memorable animal image. The proverb warns about the possible unintended consequences of ill-motivated curiosity. Animal imagery is used to better communicate with the intended audience of children. Proverbs work as vernacular pedagogy and teach about cause and consequence. Self-restraint is a common issue children struggle with, and this proverb is designed to function as a teaching tool. 

Tell It to Running Water

Interviewer: What should I do if I have a bad dream? 

MJ: Well, something I do that I was taught as a kid is to tell whatever is mothering me to running water.

Interviewer: Tell it to water? What do you mean?

MJ: Well, you find running water, which can be a river or more commonly a bathroom faucet. And you tell it all the bad thoughts that are bothering you. The water will take the bad thoughts with it, and the bad dreams should stop. I promise you this works. I’ve been doing this my whole life, and I’ve never had trouble sleeping. 

Interviewer: I’ll be sure to try this next time I’m feeling anxious about something.

Context:

The conversation is between me and my grandma. She inherited many such beliefs and practices from her mother, who was Polish. This conversation happened during our weekly phone call. 

Analysis:

This is an example of folk belief because it assumes that anxious thoughts can be transferred, in this case to water, through a symbolic action. The water removes bad thoughts through transference. This practice can be described as apotropaic; it is meant to ward off fear and negative energy. We can choose to disregard this practice as outdated or see it as an analog to therapy of the past. Talking about the problems that are bothering us, even to the water, helps us suppress the immediate alarm system, work through them, and find solutions we wouldn’t otherwise have found.

Georgian Home Remedy for The Cough

Interviewer: Does your family have any strange ways of curing a cough?

IK: Definitely strange. I doubt it cures anything, though. 

Interviewer: Tell me more, please.

IK: Whenever I had a cough as a kid, my grandma used to take a leaf of cabbage, smear honey all over it, and place it on my throat. I wasn’t allowed to speak during this, and it often lasted for an hour or maybe more. 

Interviewer: Wow, that sounds uncomfortable. Was this a common practice?

IK: Not really, only if the cough was very bad.

Interviewer: How did you feel afterwards?

IK: Well, I don’t know. I love my grandma very much, so I wanted it to work, but to tell you the truth, I think it’s the not talking part that made my throat feel better.

Context:

The informant is 23 years old, and she grew up in Tbilisi, Georgia, where she currently lives. The interview was conducted over Zoom and lasted about 15 minutes. This practice was passed down to her grandma matrilinearly. She was skeptical towards healing practices her grandma used to perform but said that she might do the same for her own children one day. According to her, the true merit of these practices is to calm the child down and reassure them that everything is being done to make them feel better. 

Analysis:

This is an example of folk medicine or home remedy. The cure functions as a caregiving performance. Even if the remedy is medically uncertain, the informant experienced touch, attention, and reassurance from her grandmother. It is worth noting that her skepticism towards the practice does not remove the folklore value, and she plans on herself becoming a tradition-bearer by performing the same healing ritual for her children. Such domestic healing rituals are common, where typically an elder woman becomes the healer.

A Strange Hangover Remedy

Interviewer: Do you have any special hangover cures you can recommend? 

GM: Promise not to judge me? It’s a little strange. 

Interviewer: Promise!

GM: My friend taught me the method some time ago. After my 20th birthday, I woke up so hungover that I wished I hadn’t been born at all. My friend, who was in a similar situation, suggested a method his dad had taught him that never failed to cure him. Here is the recipe: you take the cold pickle jar from your fridge, drain the pickle brine, mix it with sparkling mineral water, and add one shot of vodka. That’s it. You drink the whole drink in small sips, and you’re cured.

Interviewer: That sounds like it might just work. 

GM: It totally does! I don’t know whether it’s the electrolytes in the pickle juice, the carbonation, or the hair of the dog, but this concoction took me from a walking corpse to a semi-functioning human, so I can’t complain. 

Interviewer: Wow, I will make sure to try it next time I find myself in a similar situation. 

GM: You should, and you know what? The taste isn’t even that bad. I actually kind of like it. 

Context:

The informant is a 22-year-old male from Georgia. He is a student at University College London, and he has been living in London since he was eighteen. He is a social drinker and utilizes this cure method after particularly heavy nights of drinking. The origin of the recipe is unknown past the dad of the resplendent’s friend.

Analysis: 

Hangover cures are examples of folk medicine. Hangover cures such as this one are passed down through social networks rather than formal medical authority. It can also be noted that they are more prominently passed down between men. Cures are a natural extension of drinking culture, and they therefore must exist all around the world in variation. The performative and sensory aspects of this practice additionally add merit to them being a folk practice. The making of the drink, the strange appearance, and the strange taste and texture are all part of the performance.

A Georgian Spring Tradition

Interviewer: Do you remember any special yearly traditions from your childhood?

GM: One thing that comes to mind is chiakokonoba. It’s a yearly tradition around spring where we used to make a very large fire pit and take turns jumping over them. 

Interviewer: Interesting. Tell me more, please.

GM: All the kids in the neighborhood gathered around and competed in who could jump over the largest fire. You can see the appeal; either you make the jump or burn yourself. The adrenaline is what made it fun. 

Interviewer: Do you know where this tradition originated? 

GM: No, but the idea is that it scares evil spirits away. 

Interviewer: Did you believe this when you were participating as a kid? 

GM: Not really. If anything, it angered my mom so much that evil spirits weren’t what I was afraid of anymore. 

Context: The informant was born and raised in Tbilisi, . He often visited his grandparents in the village during spring break, where he used to participate in this tradition. According to him, this tradition is less popular in the urbanized parts of Georgia but still lives on in the more rural areas.

Analysis.

The informant describes a tradition for driving away evil spirits called chiakokonoba (ჭიაკოკონობა). It is interesting that this cleansing from evil spirits happens during a transitional period of early spring. The fire can be seen as a symbolic boundary itself. Facing danger and overcoming fear will cleanse you and protect you from evil spirits. Upon further investigation, I have found that this tradition has pagan roots and now can mostly be found in orthodox Christian countries such as Georgia.